Sleeping Bag Endurence

[JStadz]

Is there any way a Marmot Trestles 30 Sleeping Bag - Women'scan survive/keep me comfortable during an entire thru hike? Please give details why (and on how answer is yes) or why not (and on my options).

Thank you :)

[colorado_rob]

Where and when? If early April start time for AT going NOBO, perhaps yes. Maybe even late march if you start with a sleeping bag liner. Or if you start later, perhaps you'll need a liner towards the end up north, depending on how fast you get through. I think 30 degree is a decent single-bag choice for the AT, unless you start early or late.

[Just Bill]

It appears to have some fairly bulky synthetic fill... which will likely lead to you stuffing the crap out of it and it wearing out some.

Which simply means that by the end of your hike it won't be a 30* bag anymore. But it will likely get you through.
If possible though I'd reserve some money to replace as you'll probably want to mid hike. If you can't- deal with it.

Otherwise you may have an issue in early season as mentioned above.

[Slo-go'en]

If you start in April (or later) it *should* be enough but you'll need to augment it with a liner and even extra clothes on occasion. A bags rating is usually "it will keep you alive at XX degrees" not that it will keep you comfortable at XX degrees. Add 10 or 15 degrees to the bag rating for it's comfort temperature. 30's are common in April and into May, 20's are occasionally possible. On those occasional nights when it gets real cold adding a liner and extra clothes will allow you to live through the night, but your unlikely to get much sleep.

Personally, I use a 30 degree bag with a liner in the southern Appalachians in April and May, but I've just gone through a frigid NH winter so I'm used to the cold and temps in the 30's seem like a heatwave.

Your being from a hot climate, you may initially need a much warmer sleep system. It's not just the cold, it's a damp cold which really cuts to the bone. I'll assume your a woman since you specify a woman's bag and woman typically sleep colder then men for some reason. All in all unless your starting in May, a 30 degree bag, even with a liner and extra clothes, maybe a bit marginal for you. But everyone is different and much of it depends on the level of discomfort your willing to put up with. Finding a good balance between comfort, weight and cost is tricky.

[Casey & Gina]

Personally, I won't use lower than a 15 degree bag even in warm weather. It's never too hot for me and I don't want to be too cold and suffer. I think the rating for women's bags assumes that women are generally more cold-sensitive than men though, so that's worth consideration I suppose. In my case I am more cold-sensitive than my wife is so ultimately you have to figure out what works for you personally...

[4eyedbuzzard]

According to REI, the bag has an EN 13537 comfort rating of 33°. That "comfort" rating assumes an average degree of cold tolerance with a female user who is already wearing a long base layer, socks, and cap and using an insulated sleeping pad. If you are a warm sleeper, you'll probably be okay with an April start if you're using a tent as it will provide additional warmth. Here's a few links to how the EN standard works and expected temperatures along the AT by month. Typically, the old rule of thumb was a 20° bag with an April start. Many carried such a bag all the way.

Below is an old temperature chart (copyright ATC) from a few years back when liability for providing information wasn't yet such a big issue. Promise not to sue me if you freeze to death. Just be sure to remember to factor in both altitude and the fact that those are only average temperatures at the listed places/elevations across an entire month - early April is more like March and late September is more like October. Normal variation is probably about +/- 10° on any given day, but extremes could be more than that, typically 20° or so, and records, especially lows, can be off the charts so to speak. Add that wet, damp, etc. makes everything feel colder, and your bag will become somewhat damp because it will come to equilibrium with the air, and the AT is a pretty damp environment. You have to be able to stay warm up on the mountain when temps are below average. Your sleeping bag is your #1 piece of safety/survival gear. Personally I select gear based on comfort rating with an expected worst case being about 10 - 15F lower than average. Always, ALWAYS, error on the too warm side.

Here's a link to a simplified explanation of EN sleeping bag ratings http://roamthewoods.com/blog/?p=324
A bit more detail at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EN_13537

Here's the old temp chart in pdf format